Family  Human beings, especially family members, constitute an important part of a persons social environment.  Children are active participants, influencing and altering the families, schools, and communities in which they are a part of.

Family  Gender roles – refers to the expectations regarding the proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females.  “Toughness” is associated with males while “tenderness” is associated with females.  Parents are a key factor in supporting the roles that male and females should follow in society.  Children learn their roles by their interactions with the family. Children see how their parents “should” act and feel this is the way that they “should” act themselves.

Family  Parents can also have a negative affect on their child’s development into society.  A survey of over 600 teens, indicated that 20% had shared drugs and other substances with their parents. About 5% were introduced to drugs by their parents.  Approximately 1.5 million children under the age on 18 have a parent in a federal prison.

School  Schools in this country are believed to foster competition through a built-in system that is based on rewards and punishments.  Some also believe that the educational system teaches children the values and customs of the wider society that would not be learned within the individual child’s household.  There has been studies conducted that prove there is not an unbiased atmosphere within schools.

School  According to this study, girls show a disturbing pattern of downward intellectual mobility compared with boys, because they are treated differently.  Teachers tend to praise boys more and offer more assistance. (Why does this occur?)  Finally, girls are not expected to pursue high- level mathematic or science courses.  This report concludes that girls are unlikely to reach their full academic ability within the educational systems of the US.

Peer Groups  As a child grows older the family becomes less important and the family becomes the major influence on a persons development.  At home parents dominant the behavior that is accepted or unacceptable, where as a person’s friend is a peer not a dominant force.  Within the peer group, each member can assert, themselves in a way that might not be possible anywhere else.  Peers can also be the source of harassment and negative behavior throughout a child’s development. These actions can be passed on to the individual and become a part of their personality.

Mass Media and Technology  In the last 80 years, media innovations – radio, movies, recorded music, television, and the Internet – have become important agents of the socialization process.  32% of children in the US under the age of 7 have their own television.  53% between 12 and 18 have their own sets.  US citizens spend about 4 hours a day watching television.  Teenagers spend about 31 hours a week on the Internet.

Mass Media and Technology  Television and other sources of mass media can be positive in that they expose children to unfamiliar cultures and outside influences.  Families are now multitasking due to the increase in technological use. Families are now devoting their time to multiple tasks rather then just one. This allows more to get done throughout the day.

Workplace  Working is a sign within American culture that you have reached adulthood and are out of the adolescence stage.  Adolescents usually seek a job in order to increase their spending money.  80% of High School students say that little or none of what they earn goes towards the family expenses.  It has also been suggested that the increase in high school employment has had a decrease within academic areas.

Workplace  Socialization in the workplace changes as the employment becomes full-time rather then part-time work.  Young adults may change careers many times before they discover which occupation is right for them.  This means that the workplace is a continual agent in the socialization process.

The State  Today national interests, not the family, is influencing the individual as to their role in a specific society.  The State has reintroduced the idea of an individual experiencing a “rites of passage.”  Stipulations on when you can get married, drink, enter the draft, or drive a car.  The state must also try to provide for those individuals in society that can’t provide for themselves and their families. Ex. Welfare and childcare.